Andy Cohen is officially a father!
The Watch What Happens Live host, 50, welcomed his first child — a baby boy named Benjamin Allen — via surrogate on Monday, Feb. 4 at 6:35 p.m. PT. The tiny tot weighs 9 lbs., 2 ounces, and measures 20 inches long.
To celebrate the good news, Cohen shared a black and white photo of himself holding his son to Instagram.
Benjamin Allen is a special name for Cohen, coming from his grandfather, Ben Allen, on his mother’s side.
“I’m in love,” Cohen wrote on Instagram. “And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I’m a dad. Wow.”
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Cohen first announced that he was expecting his first child via surrogate on the Dec. 20 episode of WWHL, while surrounded by OG Real Housewives franchise cast members Vicki Gunvalson, Ramona Singer, NeNe Leakes, Kyle Richards and Teresa Giudice.
“Tonight, I want you to be the first to know that after many years of careful deliberation, a fair amount of prayers and the benefit of science — if all goes according to plan, in about six weeks time I’m going to become a father,” he shared.
“Thanks to a wonderful surrogate who is carrying my future,” he continued. “Family means everything to me and having one of my own is something that I have wanted in my heart for my entire life. And though it’s taken me longer than most to get there, I cannot wait for what I envision will be the most rewarding chapter yet.”
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A source revealed to PEOPLE that after the WWHL broadcast, “a smaller group went out to celebrate,” where an on-cloud-nine Cohen “was telling people that he was ‘relieved’ the news was finally out there and just kept reiterating how excited he was for the future.”
“‘I can’t wait to meet my kid,’ he said,” the insider recalled. “He’s always had that urge to be a father and felt like this was the right time. His parents are of a certain age, and he wants them to know his child. He said, ‘I know I’m single, but I haven’t met anyone and I want a family. I’m ready to do this.’ “
“He’s going to be an amazing dad. He’s so filled with love,” the source continued of Cohen, who announced his split from Clifton Dassuncao last March. “He’s going to give this child a wonderful life.”
A few days later, during CNN’s live New Year’s Eve show, Cohen revealed that he would be having a son. “It’s a boy and I got to tell you something, I cannot wait to meet this boy,” he told co-host, Anderson Cooper.
“When I was growing up and when we were growing up … I just never thought it would be possible, as a gay man, to grow up and have a family,” shared the proud then-papa-to-be.
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“And here we are in 2018, almost [2019], and anything’s possible,” Cohen continued. “And I’m so grateful to a wonderful surrogate that I’m working with.”
He added, “By the way, by the time it became possible, I was kind of having too much fun in my life to say, ‘I don’t think I can do this right now.’ But here I am, I turned 50 this year. It takes some people longer to get to that place. And it took me that time.”
RELATED: Everything Dad-to-Be Andy Cohen Has Said About Becoming a Parent
On Jan. 26, Cohen — who, fittingly, wore a baby-blue suit for the occasion — was surrounded by dozens of Real Housewives cast members and his close friend John Mayer at an extravagant baby shower in Beverly Hills, California.
The exciting bash took place at The Palm Beverly Hills, where Cohen’s BFF (and Radio Andy personality) Bruce Bozzi, Jr. serves as executive vice president. Guests sat at a long singular dinner table with gold flatware, long-stem candles and white and blue flowers as bundles of white balloons hung from the ceiling.
A second soirée days later saw the then-dad-to-be showered with love on the east coast from celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Ripa and more.
“I had a heart-boner for days after this crew threw me an equally epic affair on the East Coast. I feel loved & it’s all going to the ?. Thank you @brucebozzi @kellyripa @sarahjessicaparker @jackie__greenberg,” Cohen captioned a cute picture, noting Cooper did a “beautiful job” making his ribbon hat.
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